SS 316L vs. 316F vs. 904L- The final VERDICT- A technical study

[snick]

This has been discussed and debated adnuseam on this forum. Opinions vary.

Here's a gen and then two reps, all 904L, taken at the same time under the same light.

And then a 316, again under the same conditions.

Hey there! Great photos!

I'm kinda new to this business and I can't really tell which is the Gen.
Only thing that came to my attention is that the first and last photo don't have the rolex crown between the Swiss Made words. Probably just an aesthetic difference between models?

___


From what I've read there's no general consensus on the usage of 904 SS on replicas yet, is that correct?

Thanks all

 

[SS72]

Hey there! Great photos!

I'm kinda new to this business and I can't really tell which is the Gen.
Only thing that came to my attention is that the first and last photo don't have the rolex crown between the Swiss Made words. Probably just an aesthetic difference between models?

___


From what I've read there's no general consensus on the usage of 904 SS on replicas yet, is that correct?

Thanks all

The first one is gen.

The Rolex crown between "Swiss Made" was introduced with the 12X Sub, 126660 Sea-Dweller Deepsea, and other references as they were released. The 126660 was released in 2018 and the 12X Sub was 2020.

Given that there were factories advertising reps as having 904L SS when they actually had 316, and some people claimed those reps with (not) 904L were visually different to the ones with 316, I believe that there was no obvious visible difference at that time. If anything, the difference was more with the brushing than anything else, and only on some, not all. There is a difference when looking at them in the flesh vs a photo, and depending on the light and angle.

Take the second picture above as an example. Both are 904L but, to me, the watch on the left looks white/warmer than the other. In the flesh, I cannot see any difference.

The whiter/warmer appearance is apparently more applicable to 904L, and probably more so to gen. In this picture, the watch on the right is gen, but the rep on the left looks warmer. Both are 904L.

I think it's fair to say that the 904L SS on reps is inferior to genuine, but does this change the appearance? Probably not. Not then and not now.

General consensus as far as visuals go -- I think it's all subjective.

 

[torontotbr]

The first one is gen.

The Rolex crown between "Swiss Made" was introduced with the 12X Sub, 126660 Sea-Dweller Deepsea, and other references as they were released. The 126660 was released in 2018 and the 12X Sub was 2020.

Given that there were factories advertising reps as having 904L SS when they actually had 316, and some people claimed those reps with (not) 904L were visually different to the ones with 316, I believe that there was no obvious visible difference at that time. If anything, the difference was more with the brushing than anything else, and only on some, not all. There is a difference when looking at them in the flesh vs a photo, and depending on the light and angle.

Take the second picture above as an example. Both are 904L but, to me, the watch on the left looks white/warmer than the other. In the flesh, I cannot see any difference.

The whiter/warmer appearance is apparently more applicable to 904L, and probably more so to gen. In this picture, the watch on the right is gen, but the rep on the left looks warmer. Both are 904L.

I think it's fair to say that the 904L SS on reps is inferior to genuine, but does this change the appearance? Probably not. Not then and not now.

General consensus as far as visuals go -- I think it's all subjective.

I'd agree it does not. no point fretting over it imho